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Petronas backing for Barwell’s assault on Belcar title & Spa 24 Hours

Published: Feb 04, 2011

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IT Development

Barwell Motorsport is delighted to announce that it will be returning to the Belcar (‘Belgian GT’) Endurance Championship and Spa 24 Hours this year, with backing from Petronas Lubricants Belgium and Aston Martin Brussels. The car will feature top Belgian professional drivers, and will be entered under the banner of ‘Petronas-Barwell Racing’.

The former British GT Championship-winning team will run a 2011-specification Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3 in the five-round Belcar series at the Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder circuits. For what will be an all-out assault on the title, ‘Petronas-Barwell Racing’ has enlisted the driving services of Tim Verbergt and Jeffrey van Hooydonk, 2009 Belcar Champion and Runner-Up, respectively. The team’s programme will also include the ‘jewel in the crown’ of European GT racing, the Spa 24 Hours, which this year is part of the Blancpain Endurance Series. For the first time GT3 specification cars will form the top class of this classic event in 2011, and we will have a very good shot at an outright victory.

With the Aston Martin DBRS9 benefiting from significant upgrades in 2011, and two of the highest-calibre professional GT drivers on board (the first time a DBRS9 GT3 programme has enjoyed an ‘all-pro’ driver line-up), Barwell is very confident of making a strong bid for the Belcar crown and Spa 24 Hours success.

“It’s fantastic to be working in partnership with Aston Martin Brussels once again on this exciting project. With Tim & Jeff on board plus Petronas Lubricants Belgium, we are in an excellent position to really push for the title over the coming seasons” – Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal

" I am very happy to be part of this exciting project with a long term vision, my aim is to put Aston Martin Brussels on the map. It will be a challenge to be working with top level guys at Barwell and a real fast team mate." – Tim Verbergt

“I will be driving one of the most beautiful GT3 cars, the Aston Martin DBRS9, thanks to Petronas Lubricants Belgium, Aston Martin Brussels and my loyal partner EL Systems. I know exactly what to expect, given the fact that I was very lucky to drive Barwell’s DBRS9 in the 2009 Spa 24 hours. This project is possible thanks to my new partner Petronas Lubricants Belgium, and it is a dream for me to start a partnership with one of the most renowned companies in motorsport.” – Jeffrey van Hooydonk

“Aston Martin Racing have enjoyed a long, successful and winning relationship with Barwell since the start of the customer DBRS9 GT3 programme in 2005, and are delighted that Barwell have announced this significant project in such an important championship. AMR look forward to working with Barwell in support of this programme across 2011.” - John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing MD

This year’s campaign in Belcar is the first of a planned 3-year programme for ‘Petronas-Barwell Racing’, Verbergt, Van Hooydonk, and Aston Martin Brussels.